I apologize for the horrible attempt at putting two words together in the title, but this blog will just be some thoughts and observations I've had in the world of sports recently.
It's a pity that the NBA and NHL couldn't have worked out some kind of deal in regards to their playoff schedules. With the Detroit Red Wings and the Detroit Pistons each battling deep into their respective post-seasons, one figures it'd be a joyous time to be a Detroit fan. However, due to issues between the leagues (that I assume involve mainly money), the Stanley Cup Finals and the Eastern Conference Finals are not only being played on the same nights, but at the same TIMES (give or take 25 minutes). This move forces fans in Detroit to essentially pick sides, or desperately try to balance the two (I saw a few fans in the Game 4 crowd in Detroit wearing Red Wings jerseys). Even me, as a Bostonian, wishes there was some other arrangement. While my Bruins are eliminated, I find nothing more exciting than playoff hockey, especially the Cup Finals. I've found myself flipping back and forth trying to watch both games, while considering getting TiVo instead. It's a shame that this has probably ended in the NHL getting lower ratings. A casual fan would probably be more inclined to watch the NBA, as the Celtics and Lakers resurgence has been well broadcast across the media spectrum. With this being the NHL's big chance to showcase some of its best young and old talent, a dispute over dollars may have the teams playing in Kevin Garnett's shadow.
The NBA has decided to come down on "floppers", taking a page out of the NHL's book (cracking down on diving and embellishing). I'm not sure what effect this will have on the game as a whole, but I wouldn't be surprised if offensive fouls drop drastically, either because of perceived flops or because of players getting set late because of hesitation. I'd rather see the NBA promote a "Let the boys play" approach. It seems like every drive results in some ticky-tacky foul, and if no foul is called, the players look around, hands raised, mortified at what just happened. Enough with the weak fouls, and enough with the whining. These players act like children when they don't get their way, sulking down the court and glaring daggers at the referees. Grow up.
The Celtics have a chance to set up a throwback NBA finals, as a win tonight would undoubtedly bring back Celtics-Lakers memories of old. I'm a little too young to remember any kind of fierce rivalry, but my father and uncles certainly do. Hopefully the Celtics can advance, and can give the fans a generation ahead of me a Finals to look forward to.
A lot seems to have been made on this website about Jason Whitlock's piece on tattoos. I tend to agree with the multitudes here when I say I don't really think it's that accurate. Yes ratings are up, but does that have anything to do with tattoos? The ratings boost could just be because of the rivalries that have made up these conference finals, or, taking a Boston-centric view, because two of the league's more storied franchises in Boston and LA are seemingly on a collision course. Far be it for me to judge Jason Whitlock, as he is a great writer, but it seems like the took two unrelated statistics and fused them together here. I can honestly say that I've never looked at an NBA player and said "Wow, I'm changing the channel, this guy has too many tattoos". On a more logical note, during play it's not exactly easy to pick out tattoos anyways, but that's just nitpicking. There's my $0.02 on the latest buzz on FoxSports.com
I haven't
posted in a while, as I've been writing in some other blogs, but
figured now would be a good time for a basketball post. Enjoy.
Well,
the Celtics managed to dig themselves into another hole, now facing
what is essentially a must-win home game tonight after dropping two
straight to the Cavs on the road. Game 3 was a total loss from the
opening tip, while the C's couldn't seem to combine a basket with a
defensive stop to save their lives in the fourth quarter of Game 4. So
now it's back to the Garden, where the Celtics better right the ship
fast, or risk being kicked out of the playoff party a little early by
King James and Co.
Speaking
of James, the incident with Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, James, and his
mother, Gloria James (upon reading that sentence a second time, it
sounds like the beginning of a bad dirty joke) was probably one of the
funnier moments I've seen in sports recently. I had no idea the woman
was James' mother, and actually wonder if KG knew who it was.
Nevertheless, she didn't hesitate to get right in Pierce's face, only
to be deterred by Garnett and James, who supposedly said something to
the effect of "Ma, sit your #### down!", which only makes the situation
more funny. Check out the death look she's giving as the play develops:
What
I don't understand is the people who are defending her, saying "Good
for her, that was a cheap play", or "I would have done that too, he
could have hurt LeBron!" Spare me. Pierce did the right thing in that
situation. He didn't want to give up an easy two points, so he fouled
James, and wrapped him up, clearly trying to prevent him from falling
into the net or crowd. The two's momentum carried them into the stands,
where Mommy Dearest came roaring to the rescue. The foul wasn't a big
deal, but fans in the Q screamed bloody murder, as they do (and this
isn't to pick on Cavs fans, all fans do this with their superstars)
whenever James is touched, whether it be a clean block or a hard foul.
After the "fracas" subsided, James and Pierce exchanged a sort of
fist-pound, something to the effects of "Hey man, no hard feelings,
keep playing, etc." Both Pierce and James seemed OK with the play, and
it only ended up counting for two points, but Gloria James jumping into
the action made it a much bigger deal than it was.
Another
note on this series: Having not seen many Cavs games this year, I've
been shocked at the play of Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Any Cavs fans who
stumble across this post may be able to enlighten me further, but has
he always shot like this? The guy seems to have a smooth stroke from
beyond the elbows and free throw line, and has been the Cavs best
player at times. This series features two big men who can shoot (the
other being KG), and it's been great to watch so far.
If this series ends in favor of the Cavs, there will almost certainly be calls for Doc Rivers' head to be mounted atop the Zakim Bridge.
While this would be extreme, and I'd be shocked if he were fired with a
series loss, I have begun to question some of his moves this series.
Bill Simmons wrote on ESPN.com something to the extent of "the only way
the Celtics aren't going to the NBA Finals is if Rivers overcoaches
them". I'm not sure that he's overcoaching as much as he just isn't
making the right moves. Why was Glen Davis out there deep into the
fourth quarter, with the game still in the balance? Why does Rajon
Rondo continue to be stapled to the bench in big situations? Yes, he's
not as experienced as Sam Cassell, but Cassell hasn't done much either,
besides fill George Costanza's
role as a "chucker", shooting whenever he gets the chance. Rondo has
been great this series, creating plays and scoring on some nice looking
drives. Let the kid play, Doc. He's gotta learn somehow.
On
another King James note, it's good to see the media kowtowing to him
continues. Sure, I'll probably be ripped for this by Cavs fans, so let
me preface this by saying the following: Yes, he is the best player in
the NBA. Yes, he is going to be one of the greatest players ever. Yes,
he does deserve praise and credit. Yes, I'd love to have him on the
Celtics. Anything else? Now that the disclaimer is out of the way
(though I still expect comments like "Don't be jealous!"), TNT's
gushing of all things LBJ is getting old. I'm not entirely sure which
of the trio it is, though I believe it's Jeff Van Gundy. For example,
Van Gundy spent plenty of time gushing about a pass that James made
when he left his feet. From hearing Van Gundy talk, one would think
James just dunked it from the three point line. Other things that have
been said:
"Wow,
Kevin Garnett actually knocked James DOWN on that foul! Wow! Usually,
it's James who knocks the person down while he gets fouled and he
scores too! Wow!"
"Eddie
House just fouled Lebron! Now he'll be able to tell all of his
grandchildren that he knocked down the King once! Awesome!"
Again,
don't get me wrong. Lebron is an amazing player, and deserves some
praise, but come on Jeff. Take off the LBJ23 Nikes and chill a little.
Now for
some actual predicting. Game 5 is going to be huge, and I don't really
see a blowout coming on either side. I think the Cavs are going to put
up a lot more of a fight than they did the first two times in Boston,
and that the Celtics may be feeling a little pressure, with all of the
"they can't win on the road!" talk building. The scary thing about this
series, from a Celtics fan's perspective, is that James really hasn't
gone off yet. Yes, he's been a catalyst, and huge for the Cavs, but he
hasn't played to his full capacity yet, which is terrifying. Celtics
fans who watch the rest of the NBA may have had nightmares last night
about James' performance against the Pistons in last year's playoffs,
in which he took control and essentially beat Detroit by himself.
So what happens tonight? Only time will tell, but here's my guess:
So is it finally time for the real season to begin? After the first 22 games were little more than a stroll through Boston Common, the Celtics are set to embark on what is said to be the first true test section of their schedule: vs. Orlando on December 23rd, at Utah and L.A. Lakers on back to back nights (December 29th and 30th), at Detroit (January 5th), then back to back games again, this time at New Jersey and at Washington (January 11th and 12th). The Utah/LA games will serve as the end of a four game West Coast swing, which is never an easy task for any NBA team.
On ESPN earlier last week, Bill Walton said that this was the time when the Celtics would show if they were truly one of the league's elite teams (which, according to Chauncey Billups after last night's game, is true). Their early schedule was pretty much a cakewalk, with only occasional challenges from Orlando and Toronto thrown in the mix.
20-3 is quite impressive, but the Celtics still need to prove that they can run with the big boys, and last night's game against Detroit was one of those tests. Even though they lost, the Celtics proved that they are a tough team, and had many chances to win that game. Paul Pierce's ill-advised jumper sealed the deal, as he had plenty of time to up-fake, drive to the net, or even kick the ball out to someone else. There were way too many offensive rebounds for the Pistons, something that a team cannot allow when it is trying to make a comeback. Also, too many stupid fouls (no, not Tony Allen's...everyone in the building was sold on Billups' up-fake) that occurred away from the play or on loose balls. These are all things that the Celtics can build upon, and they should come away from this game angry that they let it get away, not proud that they were able to "hang in there" against Detroit.
That said, last night's game had a great atmosphere, and was a lot of fun to watch. It felt like a playoff game, something that hasn't been seen in the Garden since the Pacers blew the Celtics out of the water a few years back. Ray Allen's clutch three-pointers were incredible, as was the sharpshooting of Billups, who abused Rajon Rondo down the stretch. Basketball was fun again in Boston last night, despite the loss.
Who knows, maybe we'll see some more Celtics-Pistons games down the road, say, in June?
I'm a 20 year old kid from Dorchester, MA, who one day hopes to be a sportswriter for a big time newspaper, and figure this is a good place to start. I'm in college at Suffolk in downtown Boston now, and it's awesome. I love all sports, with the Bruins and Red Sox being my favorite teams, thought I'm also a big Patriots and Celtics fan. I think it's ridiculous how no one in this town cares about the Bruins anymore. I like college sports too, no particular teams, especially any big bowl games and March Madness. I hate fairweather fans, especially everyone who jumped on the Sox bandwagon in 2004. The "pink hats" and "OMG Varitek's so hot!!" drive me crazy, just like anyone else who's a real baseball fan. Pick a team, know the players, stay loyal and be a real fan- in good times and in bad.
